Barack Obama praises Asian Americans

Washington, May 29: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the contributions made by the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have led the nation to stress the need to overhaul its immigration system.

The President, while speaking at a White House event to mark Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, praised the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for helping build and defend the US and called for immigration laws that would respect its history.

A White House-supported immigration overhauling initiative is currently working its way through the Congress and will remake immigration laws, go for stricter border security and provide an estimated 11 million people living illegally in the country with citizenship.

Obama, who was sworn in as the President for the second time in January this year, also recalled his personal connections to Asian and Pacific cultures, including his younger days in Hawaii and Indonesia.